Mechanism for trimming pickers



p 20 1932. w. 3. COMM 1,811,812

MECHANISI FOR TRIIIIING PICKERS H.104 Jun; 19, 19251 3 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 20, 1932. w. a. COLLUM MECHANISI FDR THINKING PICKERS F1104 June 19, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 4. m 5 m 5 i m 3 6 Z 3 4 a 4 a 4 a MN, 4 m 4 M El: I 13 fla W W r 3, 1 v n) 4 54 p 20, 1932- w; a. CQLLUM 1,877,812

MECHANISI FOR TRIMIING PICKERS F1104 Jun. 19. 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 7 a Q W Z 1 Patented Sept. .20, 1932 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE l WILLIAM B, COLLUM, OF GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA MECHANISM FOR TRIMMING PIGKERS Application filed June 19, 1931. Serial No. 545,584.

This invention is directed to a trimming form in plan, with a central opening exmechanism for. loom pickers, wherein the tending throughout the length of the plate pickersmay be readily and safely cut to a and defined by side walls 2 and end walls 3. uniform size, either for original installation, The bed plate, beyond the side walls 2 of-the or for reuse after distortion from continued central opening, includes guide sections 4, use. coplanar with the upper surface of the bed Pickers of the type herein referred to are plate, but of less thickness than the similar to be applied to picker sticks of looms for dimension of the side walls 2. The guide secshuttle operation,- and incident to this use the tions t are formed with longitudinal guide picker soon becomes distorted and somewhat slots 5. The upper surface of the bed plate is so provision of a mechanism in which the new cured to the wall 6 through bolts 11 project- 7 v 25 nism not only resulting in a uniform product is thus adjustably secured in place through 7 ineffective in operation; and it has heretofore slightly convex, as shown.

been the custom to trim such picker to proper Secured between, or integral with the side size and contour by hand. This operation, walls 2 are transverse spaced walls 6 and 7', aside from the liability of injury to the operone such, as 6, being centrally channeled in 15 ator, cannot produce pickers of uniform size its top and bottom edges, as at 8 to adjustaand shape, and furthermore, requires a conbly receive the picker clamp. This clamp siderable time in hand trimming the number comprises a U-shaped member, having an of pickers daily requiring this correction. end section 9 and side sections 10, the latter The present invention is directed to the being inherently'resilient. The clamp is sev or Worn picker may be readily clamped and ing from the end section 9 of the clamp fitsubsequently trimmed to a proper size and ting in the channels 8 at the top and bottom shape for the particular picker stick with of the wall 6, bolt-securing means, as nuts which .it is to cooperate; with such mecha- 12, securing the clamp in place. The clamp but carrying out the trimming operation in a the permissible movement of the bolts 11 in simple, speedy action, with the additional the channels 8, the end section of the clamp factor of complete safety to the operator. being fixed to the wall 6, while the resilient The invention is illustrated in the accom' side sections extend rearwardly and wholly 3 panying drawings, in which free of connection to the bed plate. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved The clamp includes a bottom section on picker trimming mechanism. whichthe picker isinitially placed, this hot Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. tom section being yieldable under pressure Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the same. to properly position the picker for cutting 35 Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line or trimming, as will later appear. This bot- 4c 6 -6 of Fig. 2.

4-4 of Fig. 2. v 1 V tom section compr ses a supporting plate 13 Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5-5 of right-angled form having along arm 14 of Fig. 2. f to fit between the side sections of the clamp Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line and a short arm15 depending from the rear end of the long arm. This supporting plate Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the picker. is secured in place by an arm 16 terminally Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of secured at 17 to thefree end of the short arm the picker trimming mechanism. 15, the arm 16 extending forwardly of the Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the clamp. bed plate and being removably secured to the is Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the operatcross plate 18 ofa U-shaped member 19, the

mg means for the clamp. side plates 20 of which are secured to the rela- Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the yieldtively inner sides of the side walls 2 ofthe able bottom for the clamp. bed plate. i

The improved picker trimming mecha- The free end of the long arm of the sup- 50 nism includes a bed plate '1, of elongated porting plate 13 is formed with an elongated slot 21, and loosely seated in this slot is the hooked terminal 22 of a clamp bottom plate 23. The plate 23 is upwardly offset relative to its hooked terminal, and its free end is provided with a depending portion 24, 1011- gitudinally slotted at 25 to receive a lug 26 on the short arm 15 of the supporting-plate 13, for guiding theclamp-bottominmovement. The lower end of the depending portion 24 of the clamp bottom is laterally eX- tended to provide hook portions 27, the upper-end of the short arm 15 of the supporting plate having cooperating shoulders '28, to thereby limit the relative upward movcment of the clamp bottom. A coil or other spring 29 isarranged he meen the clampbottom and the upper surfaceof the long arm 4 ofthe, supporting plate,this spring tending normally to hold theclamp bottom at upper llmit of movement, that iswith the hook portions 27 and shoulders 28 in' engagement, while. at the same time-permitting downward movement of the clamp bottom under pressure onthe upper surface thereof.

The side sections 10 of the clamp are rearwardly divergent, and are adapted to be forced toward each other for the clamping operation. To provide for this result spaced bars 30 are slidably guided, at their forward ends in the member 19, hearing against the inner surfaces. of. the side plates 20 thereof. These. bars extend rearwardly beneath the clamp, and forwardly of the clamp are merged into a single bar 31, terminally formed withan upwardly opening recess 32. Beneaththe clamp the bars 30 are provided with upstanding elements 33, extended between the side bars 2 of the bed-plate and the clamp sections 10, suchelements being thickened. at 34 to provide wedge elements to cooperate with the clamp sections. Obviously,

. in the rearward movement of the bars 30, the

wedge members 34 tend to force the clamp sections ,10 inwardly tov grip the picker placed therebetween.

The clamping bars 30 are operated through a. hand lever 35, swinging-1y mounted on. a shaft;36,,supported in the-side bars 2 of the bedplate at the end remote from the U- shaped' member 19.' Thislever is provided with: crossbar'3'Z, With which, through cooperation of the recess 32, the bars 30, and thereb-ythe clamping wedges 34 are moved in. either direction relative to the clamp sections' 10, thus relatively. tightening or loosenthegrip' of. these clampsections.

A. cutter frame, including an, inverted U- shaped section3'8 is guided on the upper surfaceof the bed plate, the section 38- having lateral flanges-39 overlying the guide sections 4, from which flanges depend elongated 'blEoeksa40, slidablyfitting the guide slots 5.

The blocks are preferably secured to the v flanges by bolts '41 headed below the guide sections to prevent upward movement of: the

cutter section 38. The front and rear end edges of the cutter section 38 are inclined to the transverse plane of the bed plate, so that,

of the cutter frame, the inclined shearing edge of one is arrangedfrearwardly of the similar edge of the other. Thus theblades, or; morerparticularly their shearing edges,

may operate'in; the same horizontal plane,

and completely cover and cut the full transverse area'of any article held in the clamp in the path of the cutters.

..A.c.utter lever 44 is swingingly supported on the shaft 36 of the bed. plate, thislever being'extended aroundthe end'ofthe bed plateand projected upwardly for; convenient operation from above the bed plate. Bars 45 pivotally connectedtothe cutter lever and to' the sides of the cutter frame 38 insure,

'lhepicker is forced downwardly until. the.- rivets, which usually unite thepartsof the picker-are below the-upper edge of'the clamp sections 10. This is permittedv by the yieldingbottomplate 23.; When in proper position, the;lever35- is moved rearwardly, forc ing the wedge elements 34 to force the clamp? sections 10 into'gripping. relation with the'pi'cker; The cutter lever 44 is then operatedito move the blades overthe clamp, causing their cutting. edges to cleanly andevenly shear th e; upper. portion of the picker, and

properly shape and reform this portion for furtheruse;

Thesclampmay be vertically adjusted as described, thus permitting-cutting at different heightsof the picker. It is to be noted thatthe cutting. blades are entirely concealed within the cutting frame, and that at no timeis it possible for the operator. to .be damaged by such blades. Furthermore, the cutting. of the pickers, in any .fiXed adjustment,'insures absoluteuniformity in the finished product,entirelyavoiding the liability of imperfect fit'incident to the usual hand cutting. I

The mechanism is designed as a permanent installation infa weave" room, and may be secured to a bench or'therelements 19 may be heldsinithe jaws of-an ordinary vise. The

ing a bed plate, cutting means movable therebe placed in the clamp, the cutters operated, and the picker restored to usual size and outline, with the minimum loss of time and labor and with perfect safety to the operator.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. A picker trimming mechanism, including a bed plate, a clamp having resilient side portions for engaging the picker, means carried by the bed plate for moving the resilient clamp portions together to clamp a picker, a cutter frame guided in the bed plate, means for operating the cutter frame, and two transversely ofi'setcutter blades carried by the frame with cutting edges inclined to the plane of movement of the cutter frame.

2. A picker trimming mechanism comprising a bed plate, a clamp having resilient side sections mounted in the bed plate, means carried by the bed plate for forcing the clamp sections toward each other, a lever for operating said means, and a cutter carrying frame movable on the bed plate with a cutting plane immediately above the upper edge of the clamp. I

3. A picker trimming mechanism comprising a bed plate, a resilient clamp carried by the bed plate, means carried by the bed plate for compelling a picker-clamping movement of said clamp, a cutter frame movable over the clamp, shearing transversely offset cutting blades carried by and concealed within said frame, and a lever swingingly supported by the bed plate for operating said cutter frame.

4. A picker trimming mechanism comprison, a lever for operating said cutting means, a clamp carried by the bed plate, a yielding bottom for said clamp, means for adjusting the clamp to grip a picker, and a lever for operating said adjusting means.

5. A trimming mechanism for loompickers, including a clamp having resilient sides and bottom for receiving the picker, a manually-operable member for cooperating with the sides of the clamp to engage and hold the picker, and cutters movable over the clamp to trim the picker.

6. A trimming mechanism for loompickers, including a clamp having resilient sides between which the picker is loosely re ceived, elements movable longitudinally of the clamp to compress the side Walls thereof onto the picker for clamping the latter, a lever for operating said elements, and a plurality of angle-shearing cutters movable over the upper edge of the clamp to trim the picker.

7. A trimming mechanism for loompickers, including a frame, a clamp mounted in the frame to loosely receive the picker, said clamp having resilient side walls, elements movable longitudinally of the frame for engaging the side walls of the clamp and forcing said walls into gripping cooperation with the picker, a cutter frame movable in the frame in a plane above the clamp, means for operating the cutter frame, and blades with cutting edges of opposed angular relation carried by the cutter frame.

8. A trimming mechanism for loom- .pickers, including a frame, a clamp verti- 

